Going to Europe: Best texting apps to save money

whats app

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Skype can do it, as can Google SMS.

http://www.skype.com/en/features/sms/

http://www.google.com/mobile/sms/

buy a cheap phone while you are there and change sim cards country by country, you get a new tel. each time, but at least you have a working phone for peeps to reach you in emergency.

This is bad advice. Unless your current US phone is from the dark ages, it will work in Europe. Buy a prepaid SIM card when you arrive, put it in your phone and text away. If you set up an account you will be able to top up the SIM any time by SMS or a call, but you can buy an anonymous SIM if you prefer.

The SIM will work in any European country, and text charges will be only minimally more expensive as you move out of the country you purchased the SIM in (and will certainly be less expensive than buying a new SIM in each country; that's just a complete waste of time, not to mention a pain in the arse - unless you enjoy visiting mobile phone shops and filling out forms?). Stick to texting and have people call you in the hotel or on other land lines (or look for internet cafes to call from) and don't accept any calls from the US on your phone if you are outside the country where you purchase your SIM - there is a charge to you for accepting those calls.

A word of warning - do NOT use texting apps, and make sure that you have data roaming switched off on your phone, because as soon as you move from the country you purchase the SIM in, you will be hit with international roaming charges for data. Data charges are not covered by the same laws as mobile phone calls and SMS - you will burn your credit in no time.

You are actually visiting a year too soon - in 2014 "international" calls within the EU will disappear, and all mobile phone calls will be charged at one rate wherever you are in the EU. You will still pay international rates to call the US, but you won't be charged extra because e.g. your phone plan was bought in France and you are in Sweden.

No, it is not bad advice. It's neutral, as he didn't say what kind of phone he had, and how much traveling he's doing, and what kind. Backpacking?

It doesn't matter what kind of travelling he is doing - buying a new SIM in each country is bad advice ( and what difference does it make if he is backpacking?).

Leave the phone at home. Been in Europe for about 2 and a half weeks now. Don´t miss it at all.

uh, anyway... back to the original question. don't understand what the one guy's aversion to texting apps is regardless of where your SIM is from.

i second the whatsapp recommendation. viber is also good, free, and has a calling feature.

to me, it's more worth putting data roaming on your phone than text or calling roam. get viber, data roaming, and you end up with all 3 features.

Data roaming between European countries is expensive, much more so than roaming phone services.

I travel a lot in Europe, and the advice I gave is what has worked for me.

i don't know what you mean. for example, i added international roaming to my data plan when i left the US. it doesn't matter if i am in england or china, i'm still using x% of the international data plan i bought. similarly, shouldn't make a difference whether you're in france or sweden as long as neither is your non-roaming country.

maybe it depends on the company you have. i use at&t.

Put the phone away and enjoy Europe without having to stare at it every 30 seconds to see if you got a text.

Hit an internet cafe once a day and let everyone know you're alive.

That would be a good idea if i wasnt going over for business.

If it's for work, then make them pick up the cost. Why would you pay for it?

There's an app called WhatsApp that worked pretty well for me when I was over there. However, I believe anyone you text also has to have the app installed.

Check with your provider here; I just went to Europe for a month or so, and added international data and texting to my phone, plus calling, pretty reasonably. With AT&T. make sure you cancel it when you return, because they have it set up to auto renew each billing cycle. But it was definitely the easiest thing to to do.

You can also buy a cheap phone over there and use it while you're there, or go the SIM card route for your own phone.

OK, well that sounds like good advice. I'm in the UK, so I can't offer advice on US provider services, I just know what has worked for me when I'm travelling around mainland Europe.

You'd better double check whether your phone supports GSM. Some still don't, particularly Sprint and Verizon.

Don't use data roaming in Europe. Most Starbucks have wi-fi.

Which country are you travelling to?